Movie review: There’s plenty to chew on in ‘Beatriz at Dinner’

Thursday

Jun 15, 2017 at 6:16 PMJun 15, 2017 at 6:16 PM

Al Alexander More Content Now

If you’re a Mexican immigrant invited to dine with President Donald Trump, what would you do, and what would you say during the breaking of bread? Would you be polite and try to ignore the narcissistic bluster? Or, would you get in his face — maybe even hurl a cellphone his way? That’s Salma Hayek’s dilemma in the appetizing “Beatriz at Dinner,” the latest make-them-squirm social satire from the astute team of writer Mike White and director Miguel Arteta.

Like their previous collaborations, “Chuck & Buck” and “The Good Girl,” the didactic duo zero in on a marginalized protagonist butting heads with the people who hold power over them. In this case, that would be Hayek’s Beatriz, a border-crosser who overcame great hardship to start a holistic healing enterprise predicated on massaging both the minds and bodies of her often terminally ill clients. One of her biggest fans is Cathy (Connie Britton), the Orange County socialite who credits Beatriz with saving the life of her now college-age daughter.

Theirs is a fascinating, ill-defined relationship. They’re not really friends, yet they share a spiritual bond, which explains why Cathy thinks nothing of asking Beatriz to stay for her lavish dinner party after the masseuse’s car breaks down in front of Cathy’s Newport Beach mansion. Joining them at the table will be Cathy’s patient businessman husband, Grant (David Warshofsky), his unctuous legal-eagle colleague, Alex (Jay Duplass), the counselor’s social-climbing wife, Shannon (Chloe Sevigny), and the guest of honor, real-estate titan, Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) and his wife No. 3, Jeana (Amy Landecker).

Any similarities between Mr. Strutt and a certain occupant of the White House are purely intentional — and a tad too obvious. If you like Trump, you’ll find Strutt to be a magnetic captain of industry, albeit a tad too condescending. If you despise the president, you’ll vigorously hiss and rage with contempt. White and Arteta clearly fall in this latter camp, taking every opportunity to expose Strutt for the selfish jerk he is. And that can be daunting. Heck, even Trump’s biggest detractors admit the guy has charm. Giving Strutt a little of the same might have made Beatriz’s chore of tolerating him more compelling than it is.

Still, it’s fun watching Hayek and Lithgow work magic with their paper-thin characters, repeatedly butting heads in an escalating challenge to retain the upper hand in a caste war that grows increasingly bloody. It’s a battle we helplessly watch Beatriz fight alone, as the other guests also begin to turn against what amounts to a Christ figure, right down to her living with goats and other less-fortunate critters. The point, which we’re clobbered over the head with, is that Beatriz is a healer and protector and the wealthy prigs are takers and destroyers of everything good about our fragile planet.

The resulting confrontations are sure to get you jazzed, but the content should have been deeper, and at a mere 80 minutes, “Beatriz at Dinner” could have easily have gone longer. And it would not have been a strain, considering all seven people, and the actors playing them, are great company, even when talk turns to taking paradise and putting up a parking lot. That’s particularly true of Hayek, who glams down considerably to lose herself in the best role she’s had since garnering an Oscar nomination for her unforgettable portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in “Frida.” As Beatriz, Hayek is a textbook study on how to do a slow burn, as her character — fueled by too much wine — evolves from polite chatter to murderous intent. It’s intriguing watching her gradually summon Beatriz’s courage and hutzpah to speak truth to power, which makes it all the more disappointing that White and Arteta leave her hanging out to try in the film’s frustratingly bleak ending. Like Trump’s blue-collar worshippers, they defy their own self-interests. It makes no sense. But you can’t deny, as is, “Dinner” still gives you plenty to chew on.

“Beatriz at Dinner”Cast includes Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Connie Britton, Chloe Sevigny and Jay Duplass. (R for language and a scene of violence.) Grade: B